broadfield

Broadfield is a place name found primarily in England and denotes several distinct locations and institutions that share the same designation. The most prominent is the Broadfield district in Carshalton, located within the London Borough of Croydon. This area developed from a former agricultural estate into a residential and commercial zone that includes the Broadfield Shopping Centre and Broadfield Primary School. Historically the district was part of Surrey before the expansion of Greater London.

Across the country, Broadfield also refers to a football ground known as Broadfield Stadium, situated in Crawley, West Sussex. The stadium serves as the home of Crawley Town Football Club and has hosted various local sporting events since its opening. The name Broadfield is likewise applied to other smaller villages and hamlets in England, though these places are less widely recognised. Broadfield is occasionally used as a surname; it is carried by a small community of people whose genealogical records trace back to the English countryside.

The term itself originates from Old English, combining *burh* (meaning ‘fort’ or ‘fortified place’) and *feld* (meaning ‘open land’), effectively describing a ‘broad or wide field’. Because of this general geographic description, the name has been independently applied to multiple locales, each with its own local history and identity.